Charmed Ten Years Ago

_**Okay so today is the 10**__**th**__** anniversary of Prue's death (if you assume the episodes run in real time…which I do) and I really wanted to do a story for it. I can't promise that this is amazing because I have only written one other Charmed story and I had to rewrite the beginning of this one like 3 times before I was happy with it…anyway… The other thing is I don't really know where everything stands at the end of the series, so this may contridict that a little but it is five years past that so…**_

_**Disclaimer: I do not own Charmed or the characters**_

_**Spoilers: All Hell Breaks Loose, Charmed Again 1 & 2**_

"Ten years," Piper murmured under her breath.

"It seems like yesterday," Phoebe remarked quietly, and Piper turned to look at her younger sister. She had not realized that anyone else was awake yet.

"Yes," Piper agreed with a nod, "It does." She turned back to face the room in front of her as Phoebe descended the last few steps of the staircase to stand beside her sister.

There was a pause while both women took in the room in front of them. It was the same inconspicuous room that it had been for the past decade, but today it seemed different. Today it was as if there was an old film playing with the room as its stage, but it was not just any film. It was one that was all too familiar, and together they stood and watched as the scene played out in front of them.

"Whatcha you looking at?" Paige asked as she came down the stairs towards the other two, who both spun around slightly shocked because for a brief moment they had forgotten that they were not part of the decade old silent movie playing in their minds.

"Nothing," the two sisters replied together, and Paige raised an eyebrow.

Something was up, she just wasn't entirely sure what it was. Quickly she scanned her memory for any event she was supposed to have remembered. Nothing came to mind except for the tenth anniversary of her becoming a witch, which was coming up in a couple of days. Then it hit her. If she had been a witch for nearly ten years that meant that…

"You guys should really get out of the house, and go…" the sentence trailed off into nothingness because Paige was not quite sure how to finish it. After all what are you supposed spend a day like this? As far as, she knew you just did whatever felt right. That was how she always commemorated the anniversary of her parents' death.

"We have to get the kids ready for school," Piper replied with a shrug, trying to brush of the suggestion.

"I can handle that," Paige replied, "Go ahead." The other two exchanged a look.

"Are you sure?" Piper asked a little hesitantly. Some part of her knew perfectly well that Paige could handle it, but the big sister in her hesitated at leaving her responsibilities to someone else. It was amazing how ten years could change things.

"I'm positive," Paige told her firmly, "Leo and Coop and Henry can all chip in, and we'll be just fine. Just go spend some time together and remember her."

"Alright," Piper agreed finally, "Thank you."

Paige nodded in response, but ask the other two turned towards the door she called out. "Do me a favor." Phoebe and Piper watched her expectantly as she extended her hand and flowers suddenly appeared clutched tightly in her grasp. "Take these with you."

Phoebe nodded silently as she took the bouquet from her younger sister. Then she and Piper disappeared though the doorway. Paige smiled softly as the door closed behind them. That was her small contribution, her small way to honor a woman whom she had never met and yet knew so much about.

-0- -0- -0-

"Are you okay?" Piper asked glancing at her sister as she slowed the car to a stop in front of a red light, "You've been really quiet."

"I miss her," Phoebe replied quietly, "Some times I miss her so much it hurts."

Instinctively Piper reached out to grasp her sister's hand. "I know," she said as she eased the car into drive, "I miss her too." The car gave an irritated grunt as it began to move forward, and Piper was struck by even the little things seemed to be reminding her how much time had passed.

"And the really scary thing," Phoebe added turning to look at her sister instead of at the world outside the window, "is that it could have been a lot worse."

Piper nearly missed stopping for the next red light because she was so shocked by her sister's words. "A lot worse?" she asked incredulously, "Wasn't it bad enough?"

"That's not what I meant," Phoebe said with a shake of her head, "It was one of the two worst days of my life, you know that, but after it happened neither one of us really paused to consider what could have happened." There was a pause. "I mean you came minutes from dying. If Leo hadn't healed you, you would have died too. If Cole hadn't risked his life to help me escape the underworld, I would have been stuck there forever. And without us Paige would have had no chance of surviving."

Piper looked at her sister for a long moment. "What brought this thoughtfulness on?" she asked curiously because the more she thought about it, the more she thought her sister had a point.

"I don't know," Phoebe shrugged, "I just haven't really thought about it much since it happened, and things were a lot different back then. Now what everyone told us about things happening for a reason seems to make a little more sense."

There was silence for a moment, but both women were thinking the same thing. They were remembering back to a day all those many years ago, and Phoebe's words echoed in their mind: "We lost our sister. How can we ever understand that?" The truth was that they never would, but every passing year had made it just a little more bearable.

"We really are different people now aren't we?" Piper asked almost rhetorically.

Phoebe chuckled softly. "How could we not be?" she responded, "I mean think of where we were ten years ago."

"No kids," Piper said immediately, "Leo and I had been married for a matter of months."

"I hadn't even met Coop yet," Phoebe added, "I was still dating Cole."

"And then there is all the demon hunting between then and now," Piper added as she pulled the car into the parking lot. It shuddered slightly as she parked it, and she shook her head. "Even this old car is starting to show the wear." Phoebe almost laughed.

For a moment both women sat staring out the windshield at the large what building in front of them. She was in there or rather her earthly remains were. Her spirit was all around them and had been for the past ten years.

"You ready?" Piper asked finally, looking at Phoebe who nodded. Together they got out of the car and made their way into the building.

Without conscious thought, the two sisters made their way though the building to a very familiar spot. Slowly Phoebe bent down and laid Paige's banquet on the floor below the spot where a name and date had been carved into the pure white stone:

_Prudence Halliwell_

_1970-2001_

_**So what did you think? Please review. I want to know how to make it better the next time I write something for them. Anyway…Please review**_


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Charmed, Angst, Family